I have adopted the habit of ignoring red lights.
Rationale: If cars did not exist, cyclists would never have to stop. Every time I must stop at a traffic signal it is to cator for motorists who are mostly a self-serving detriment to public health and safety. #FuckCars.
I used to obey all the traffic rules but after coming to the realisation that much of my time is wasted and my journey is downgraded so copious lazy people can exploit a luxury (some demographics aside). Fuck that. I now run red lights like crazy.
Now I must consider that Tesla may fuck up my lifestyle because Tesla is a moving point of unchecked uncontrolled surveillance. Theoretically, Tesla could be grabbing the faces of cyclists. It could offer to report cyclists who run reds. It could sell that info to law enforcement. Am I overthinking this or is this a problem to watch out for?
OTOH, I am somewhat looking forward to a day when I can spot when a car is self-driving and (if I can ever gain confidence that they won’t mistake me for a tumbleweed) I would happily take liberties – to cut-off the car and force it to slow down and give way. I hope that tactic can go from dream world to real world.
The biggest threat to cyclists running red lights is oncoming traffic.
Use the Idaho Stop method. Treat a stop sign like a yield sign and check for traffic. Treat a stop light like a stop sign and come to a complete stop before proceeding.
The biggest threat to cyclists running red lights is oncoming traffic.
Sure, but that threat is generally limited to incompetent or unskilled cyclists. Surreptitious surveillance is a threat to even the most skilled cyclists.
Use the Idaho Stop method. Treat a stop sign like a yield sign and check for traffic. Treat a stop light like a stop sign and come to a complete stop before proceeding.
Idaho Stop sounds like a California stop. In any case, stop signs are big in N.America. I think I have only seen one of those signs in my area. I don’t suppose these techniques would escape whatever Tesla does with the data.
Skilled, competent cyclists get killed by SUVs on a daily basis.
You’re already on camera in the intersection thanks to ALPRs, so while Tesla could snitch on you, the cops have already caught you in 8k from multiple angles.
Skilled, competent cyclists get killed by SUVs on a daily basis.
Different threats call for different threat models. I’m talking about the privacy threat.
You’re already on camera in the intersection thanks to ALPRs, so while Tesla could snitch on you, the cops have already caught you in 8k from multiple angles.
Indeed I am glad I don’t live in San Franciso. Bicycles don’t need license plates where I am. There are cameras but at least they a visible and stationary, so I can decide for myself what to do on camera. Tesla takes away that choice.
They have high resolution cameras at mozt major intersections in virtually every city, town, village, etc. with more than 20,000 people in the US.
Facial recognition tech is baked in, and AI is used to draft up APBs and warrants. I live in a teeny tiny rural town and we have about 15 of these things.
Do you carry your phone while cycling? They have the GPS data proving you blew through the intersection, you’re already cooked.
Thanks for pointing that out. It would not affect me since I never carry a phone in standby mode, but interesting to hear that GSM tracking is being auto-correlated to traffic cams.
That’s definitely a helpful strategy.
My threat model just assumes there’s like 50 cameras pointed at me at all times, because I can’t keep track of every ring doorbell or drone.
The Idaho Stop is an increasingly widely adopted set of laws that allow cyclists to reduce stops at lights and signs, but lack of enforcement is moving ahead of actual legislation.
It’s like zipper merging or lane splitting on a motorcycle, everyone should be doing these things everywhere but lawmakers aren’t moving as fast as citizens or police on making these happen.
